Monday, July 26, 2010

Pledge for an Op-Ed by Paul Hsieh in Top-Tier Newspaper

As you likely know, Dr. Paul Hsieh is an op-ed writing machine. He published a handful of op-eds in 2007 and 2008, then 13 in 2009. This year, in just seven months, he's published 18 op-eds. That's an impressive output, to say the least. It's in addition to five articles published in The Objective Standard. Perhaps most remarkably, Paul does that work purely in his scarce free time -- in evenings and weekends, often after long days in a very busy radiology practice.

Since early 2009, Pajamas Media has become Paul's favorite outlet, such that most of his op-eds this year were published by them. That makes sense. Pajamas Media is eager for his work, they're great to work with, and his op-eds get widely circulated and discussed on the internet.

For Paul to publish an op-ed in one of those venues would mean so much more exposure for his ideas than any online outlet or regional paper. He's experienced a taste of that with his two op-eds in the smaller but well-respected Christian Science Monitor, and even with his letters published in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

However, any serious attempt to publish an op-ed in any of those four top-tier venues would require much additional work for Paul. The op-ed couldn't just be solid: it would have to be a work of art. The submission process would be far more cumbersome than with Pajamas Media too. Consequently, he's not pursued it seriously.

Here's my proposal... Let's help motivate Paul to publish in one of those top-tier national newspapers!

I'm asking you to join me in pledging to pay Paul Hsieh a bonus if he publishes an op-ed in the print edition of any of those four top-tier papers by the end of 2010. The topic -- and what he says about it -- will be entirely up to him.

Paul needs to start his work on this project as soon as possible. However, he'll be extra-busy with work through August 6th. That gives us some time to gather pledges. If we've raised enough funds by noon on August 6th to justify the additional work required for him, then he promises to make a serious effort to publish in one of those top-tier papers. (The more money that's pledged, the more serious his effort, I suspect!) So on August 6th, I'll announce whether the project is moving forward or not.

Publishing an op-ed in a top-tier paper is no small feat. Paul knows that, and he's not sure that he'll be able to do it by the end of 2010. You're not pledging for effort; you're pledging for results. So if he's successful, then you'll owe him your pledge when he publishes. But if he's not, you'll owe him nothing.

If you value Paul's work -- if you want to inspire him to new heights -- please pledge!

In your comment, I'd love if you would say something about why you've decided to pledge. In other words, what does Paul's work mean to you? I might post some of those, but I'll do so anonymously, unless you request otherwise. Your pledge amount will remain private no matter what.

About FIRM

America was founded on the principles of freedom and individual rights. Applied to medicine, the law must respect the individual rights of doctors and other providers, allowing them the freedom to practice medicine. This includes the right to choose their patients, to determine the best treatment for their patients, and to bill their patients accordingly. In the same manner, the law must respect the individual rights of patients, allowing them the freedom to seek out the best doctors and treatment they can afford.

Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM) promotes the philosophy of individual rights, personal responsibility, and free market economics in health care. FIRM holds that the only moral and practical way to obtain medical care is that of individuals choosing and paying for their own medical care in a capitalist free market. Federal and state regulations and entitlements, we maintain, are the two most important factors in driving up medical costs. They have created the crisis we face today.

Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine was founded by Lin Zinser and Paul Hsieh, MD in 2007. It is now managed by Paul Hsieh, MD.